Error recovery to enable error-free message transfer between nodes of a computer network

United States Patent

An error-recovery method to enable error-free message transfer between nodes of a computer network. A first node of the network sends a packet to a second node of the network over a link between the nodes, and the first node keeps a copy of the packet on a sending end of the link until the first node receives acknowledgment from the second node that the packet was received without error. The second node tests the packet to determine if the packet is error free. If the packet is not error free, the second node sets a flag to mark the packet as corrupt. The second node returns acknowledgement to the first node specifying whether the packet was received with or without error. When the packet is received with error, the link is returned to a known state and the packet is sent again to the second node.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT RIGHTS
The invention described in this application was made with U.S. Government support under U.S. Government contract B517552 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Government has certain rights in the invention.